In all my years of architecture school and practice, there seems to be a pervasive myth that my job is pretty and easy. Here, I reveal the painful, ugly truth about why it takes so long to build a building, what it is exactly that we do, and why that's not creamer you smell in my coffee.

Saturday, June 9, 2007

The house is still a mess from cleaning up the back balcony and trying to fix the leak in the balcony enclosure walls. We have piles of clothes laying about from us cleaning out our closets. All the stuff from the balcony is in the living room, and everything from our closets and drawers are laying about in our room and the TV room. All the blankets that should be in the cabinets in the hall are laying around the living room, bedroom, and TV room because the cabinets aren't done. The house hasn't really been cleaned well since late April. So what's the best use of my time on a warm Saturday afternoon? That's right: gardening.I went to the farmers' market this morning while going for a long walk and found some herbs for my container garden. The gal at the plant nursery booth recommended that I trim back my parsley so it wouldn't overwhelm my other herbs, and that I put my chocolate mint (which is invasive) and my rosemary (which likes drier soil than most herbs) in separate pots. I spent a great deal of the early afternoon digging in the dirt, cleaning pots, scooping soil, breaking up root knots, spraying down plants with organic herbicide, and enjoying the warm day.Oh, then I boxed up the give-away clothes, changed the futon cover, and swept and swiffed the house. Then Guy came home and it was time for margaritas and quesadillas at our local cantina. I consider this day well-spent.

About Me

I'm a (finally) licensed architect out here in the wild, wild West who kicks butts and punches lists. I focus on designing hospitals, which--between the program and the clients--is a real challenge. I like what I do for a living, and have the site observation photos to prove it. My job is part designer, part technician, part software guru, part counselor, part therapist, part spiritual guide, and part repo man. So don't toy with me, or I'll refuse to sign your Pay Application.

Note and Disclaimer

The content on this blog is not approved by my employers, fellow employees, or any professional organization involved in the design or construction industry. The opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone and should not be considered representative of the opinions of my employers or my profession.
Any professional opinions, design concepts, layouts, and details should be taken with a grain of salt and a large margarita. This blog should not be used in place of consulting a design or construction professional in person, nor should it be a substitute for having a professional review your particular project.
All names and identifying details have been changed to protect the innocent as well as the guilty.
No, I will not design your deck for you.